Improvement in wagon-shaft shackles



F. DICKENSON, JI'.

'Phill-Coupling.

Patented Nov. 14, 1865.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FERDINAND DICKENSON, JR., OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN WAGON-SHAFT SHACKLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,918, dated November 14, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND DICKEN- SON, Jr., of Hartford, county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon-Shaft Shackles; and I do hereby declare that the same is described and represented in the following specification and drawings.

And to enable others skilled iu the art to make and use the same, I will proceed to describeits construction by referring to the drawings, in which the same letters indicate like parts in each ofthe figures.

The nature of my invention consists in mahing a tapering hole and inserting a tapering screw-boltthrough the whole length of thejoint and securing the sameiu the desired iixed position by means of a set-nut, theohjectof which is to tighten the joint when necessary by turning the screw-bolt and tightening the set-nut.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is atop sectional view. Fig. 2 is an edge view.

a is the strap for securing the shackle tothe axle ofthe carriage.

b is a strap, by means of which the shafls are secured to the shackle.

c is a tapering screw-bolt, having a square head,d, for applying a wrench to turn it and a Harige-washer, e, to allow a washer, x, made of some suitable yielding material, to be placed on said bolt c, between the joint and the iiangewasher e, for the purpose of excluding dirt from the joint.

i is a set-nut, fitted to the small end of the bolt for the purpose of fastening the bolt in a desired iiXed position.

By this improvement it will be seen that any looseness of the joint can be quickly or easily made tight and in perfect working order by simply turning the bolt and making it fast by the nut i.

One advantage (and, although simple in itself, is not the less important) is that when the carriage is not wanted for use the shafts may be lifted up against the front, and by doing so the nut of the strap b will sufficiently tighten on the taper screw c to hold the shafts iirmly in au elevated position without the aid of any other fastenings, thus preventing the liability of being broken.

I believe I have thus shown the nature and construction of this my improvement so as to 

